MARICOPA, Ariz. (Jan. 1, 2015) — The second Saguaro Amateur will kick off the 2015 amateur golf season around the world at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club here this Friday.

The amateur field of 112 will begin the 54-hole tournament with Rico Hoey of USC being the highest ranked amateur in the field. Hoey, who finished tied for 14th at the inaugural Saguaro Amateur, is ranked 22nd in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) and 39th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Defending champion, Taylor Moore (105 SPWAR/62 WAGR), of Edmond, Okla, and the University of Arkansas, is back in the field as well. Along with Moore and Hoey, the highest finishers returning from 2014 are David Kim (t5), RJ Wood (t9), and Hardeep Dhani (t11).

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz., will once again host the Saguaro Amateur. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, originally designed in 2002 by the design team of Schmidt-Curley and Fred Couples, went through an extensive renovation in 2014, with brand-new bunkering and a few strategic changes, most notably to the par-three 17th hole.

Along with the changes to the golf course, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes built #miniDUNES, a 6-hole short course that opened a few weeks ago. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, managed by Troon Golf and General Manager Brady Wilson, is widely considered one of the highest-ranked and well-conditioned golf courses in Arizona.